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dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A book friend of mine no longer reads plot synopses after being burned too many times by a summary that misrepresented the contents of the book. After this, I am really feeling their logic because my enjoyment of the book was hampered as I struggled a lot between what I thought this book was about and what it really was.
I thought this was a novel about both "child" and "adult" fears that used werewolves as a metaphor for abusive fathers, and that is not the novel I read. I haven't been thrown so much for a loop in a long time. I felt like every time I thought I knew what kind of book I was reading, it changed its skin again into something even more bizarre and horrifying. I felt like I was in a car speeding down the wrong side of the highway pretty much the whole time. It's like a Magnus Archives episode on LDS. I keep trying to draw comparisons to other books (thematically they have nothing in common but there's some surface-level comparisons to be made to Chuck Tingle's Bury Your Gays), but the work I keep coming back to is a Dean Koontz book I read in high school - Cold Fire. I was not surprised to see Dean Koontz name dropped in the Acknowledgements, along with Stephen King. This feels like a concept King would come up with through the haze of cocaine. If you read a lot of horror/thrillers in the 80's and 90's, I think you'd love this.
I don't want to spoil too much about this book because I think this roller coaster might be best experienced blind, but around the 1/3rd mark it revealed to be a completely different genre than I was expecting. There is so much gore and body horror. Mary: An Awakening of Terror is also canon to this world's universe?! This book itself was a shapeshifter constantly on the run, and I've yet to really get my hands around it. Go in with no expectations and buckle up for the ride!
(I know it's a maybe a weird thing to get a kick out of, but... after hearing him appear so many times on the show, I kind of wondered if Neil McRobert and Nat Cassidy were actually friends. And then a character in this book needs an alias on the spot and chooses the name Neil MacRobert, so I would say yes and that was really cool!)
I thought this was a novel about both "child" and "adult" fears that used werewolves as a metaphor for abusive fathers, and that is not the novel I read. I haven't been thrown so much for a loop in a long time. I felt like every time I thought I knew what kind of book I was reading, it changed its skin again into something even more bizarre and horrifying. I felt like I was in a car speeding down the wrong side of the highway pretty much the whole time. It's like a Magnus Archives episode on LDS. I keep trying to draw comparisons to other books (thematically they have nothing in common but there's some surface-level comparisons to be made to Chuck Tingle's Bury Your Gays), but the work I keep coming back to is a Dean Koontz book I read in high school - Cold Fire. I was not surprised to see Dean Koontz name dropped in the Acknowledgements, along with Stephen King. This feels like a concept King would come up with through the haze of cocaine. If you read a lot of horror/thrillers in the 80's and 90's, I think you'd love this.
I don't want to spoil too much about this book because I think this roller coaster might be best experienced blind, but around the 1/3rd mark it revealed to be a completely different genre than I was expecting. There is so much gore and body horror. Mary: An Awakening of Terror is also canon to this world's universe?! This book itself was a shapeshifter constantly on the run, and I've yet to really get my hands around it. Go in with no expectations and buckle up for the ride!
(I know it's a maybe a weird thing to get a kick out of, but... after hearing him appear so many times on the show, I kind of wondered if Neil McRobert and Nat Cassidy were actually friends. And then a character in this book needs an alias on the spot and chooses the name Neil MacRobert, so I would say yes and that was really cool!)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Cancer, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit
infection/disease, eye trauma
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Gore, Blood, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Body horror, Gun violence, Alcohol
Minor: Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Stalking
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Blood
Minor: Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore
Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Gun violence, Blood, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Medical content, Mass/school shootings
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When the Wolf Comes Home follows an aspiring actress in LA who works part time at a bar. In the midst of a slight medical scare, Jess returns home to find a scared and traumatized little boy in her yard. And things are basically downhill from there.
I think the narrator for this book, Helen Laser, was amazing. And the author's note in the beginning about TWs was enough of a glimpse into their brain to let me know I would like him as an author. And I was right. This was my first Nat Cassidy book and I can't wait to read more.
Readers coming into this book should know that there's elements of physical and psychological horror that the story is woven around. But the core of the book centers on parental connections and how they can impact a child.
Jess, who has recently lost her father, feels immediately protective of the young boy. Even with the sudden appearance of this wolf/bear creature who attacks her neighbors, she puts the boy's safety first. And that's a constant theme throughout the story even at points where she begins to weigh the risks of protecting him versus herself.
And for me, the more I read, the scarier the story seemed to feel. The small chain reactions that continue to build around Jess and the little boy while running away from the creature chasing them end up having such a big impact, I was really just hoping for certain parts to just be a character's dream.
And for me, the more I read, the scarier the story seemed to feel. The small chain reactions that continue to build around Jess and the little boy while running away from the creature chasing them end up having such a big impact, I was really just hoping for certain parts to just be a character's dream.
The closest relationship Jess has in the book is with her mother who can be eccentric and dramatic but man is their foundation strong. Even without knowing all the details of why Jess is on the run, she helps and protects her. There's a moment in the story where Jess learns some new information about her estranged father regarding his absence in her life. I liked the closure she gets from this information, but I didn't think it changed much for Jess and her natural intentions.
She wasn't a parent but understood that the young boy needed protection and was scared. And understanding that as a 5 year old just how scary the whole world may seem to him. As we age, some of those fears fade or go away. And sometimes, they're just replaced by other things.
There's a lot that I can't say without spoiling the book for other readers. So I will just ask this question: who do you think is the villain in When the Wolf Comes Home?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Child abuse, Drug use, Vomit, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Alcohol, Dysphoria
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Child death, Gore, Death of parent, Murder
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
This book surprised me, I’m not sure if I had any expectations but I really liked it a lot. Yes, there’s violence and carnage, but the elements and metaphors for coping with grief, fear and anxiety are big themes throughout. A hidden message if you will and I’m a sucker for take away messaging, especially after the author’s note at the end of the book! I liked the dark twist on a fairytale story with supernatural elements, when fictional characters literally come to life and try to kill Jess and Kiddo. I was immersed in the plot, the tension and unpredictability had me at the edge of my seat.
Thank you to Macmillan Audio for the free audiobook and I think it’s one of my favorite performances and productions this year. Narrated by Helen Laser, I loved the personality she added to Jess’ character and the voice for Kiddo was so great. There’s a point half way through when the author himself jumps into the performance and it kinda blew my mind. I loved it, kudos to the production team!
My journey into horror has been very good so far. I’m really enjoying the creativity and boundaries pushed in horror, this genre hopping reader is all in!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Child death, Death, Gore, Violence, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
My Rating System:
Enjoyment: I loved it, had fun, sobbed like a baby, never found myself wanting to dnf - 5
More?: I will absolutely read more from the author - 5
Criticism: some minor criticisms but nothing that would bring my rating down - 4
Rereadability: Not desperate to reread immediately but I likely will reread in the future- 4
Average: 4.5 Stars
When the Wolf Comes Home is reminiscent of all of my favourite horror classics in all the best ways. I think the synopsis is best left to the imagination when it comes to a book like this so I won't say too much but every chapter was wild and unexpected and exactly what I want going into a horror novel. It was brutal, fun, and sometimes hit a bit too close to home, making the reading experience the perfect emotional roller coaster (I love to cry). Nat Cassidy is quickly cementing himself as one of my favourites in the genre and I cannot wait to read more.
Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc of this book!
Enjoyment: I loved it, had fun, sobbed like a baby, never found myself wanting to dnf - 5
More?: I will absolutely read more from the author - 5
Criticism: some minor criticisms but nothing that would bring my rating down - 4
Rereadability: Not desperate to reread immediately but I likely will reread in the future- 4
Average: 4.5 Stars
When the Wolf Comes Home is reminiscent of all of my favourite horror classics in all the best ways. I think the synopsis is best left to the imagination when it comes to a book like this so I won't say too much but every chapter was wild and unexpected and exactly what I want going into a horror novel. It was brutal, fun, and sometimes hit a bit too close to home, making the reading experience the perfect emotional roller coaster (I love to cry). Nat Cassidy is quickly cementing himself as one of my favourites in the genre and I cannot wait to read more.
Big thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the eArc of this book!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Drug use, Vomit, Kidnapping, Car accident